Hey folks, Harry here... Rav, the film machine, is still out at Palm Beach spying on Michael Jackson and Brett Ratner... He's still playing shuffleboard and watching films, but the best part... the thing that'll make ya just scream is he's still finding time for movies! Actually this BROADWAY: THE GOLDEN AGE is something I'm very much looking forward to catching someday. Anytime where you can get stars like Fay Wray and Eva Marie Saint to talk about yesteryear... I'm there! Here's Rav...
Hey Harry and Everybody,
It's Rav still at the glorious Palm Beach International Film Festival. Jacko and Ratner sightings are slowing down more and more, but the more amazing thing is the films I've started to see in the second half of the festival. In the past forty-eight hours I have seen West Bank Brooklyn, Five Card Stud, Bachelorman, and Movie Hero, which are all films that deserve my infinite praise. I will be talking about all of those great films in more detail over the coming weeks, but first I must tell you about an amazing piece of work titled "Broadway: The Golden Age" directed by Rick Mckay.
It's amazing these days, the golden age of cinema can be relived by anyone willing to go out to a "good" video store and rent a dvd. Most forms of art manage to survive and entertain us for years after becoming pieces of human history. For theatre, Rick Mckay's documentary is the closest thing most of us will ever get to being a part of the golden age of Broadway. Rick Mckay for five years took a Mini-DV camera around the world interviewing the great legends of Broadway (like Stephen Sondheim, Fay Wray and Eva Marie Saint to name a few) as well as the actors that are still making an impact on theatre today (Alan Cumming, Amanda Plummer, Liev Schriber, and Alec Baldwin).
Broadway: The Golden Age chronicles the lives of young actors trying to make it in theatre, their first impressions of New York and Broadway, trying to survive sometimes by stealing forks, or spending days as a fill-in waiting for their big break. Rick Mckay hasn't just interviewed one or two great actors letting them speak for their generation, he interviews EVERYBODY. The list of legends Rick interviewed is mind-boggling, just check his imdb entry for the film out to see a few Click Here . Rick shot two hundred and fifty hours of footage over five years to come up with the documentary, the documentary runs under two hours and is magical. I wonder what the film could be if Rick decided to use all his interviews, he seems to have enough there for fifty documentaries. Although from listening to Rick speak, it seems like production will never cease on this film, the man is still spending a lot of his time actively pursuing interviews with Marlon Brando (who has quite a large section in the film devoted to him already) and Barbara Streisand.
The film is a testament to what Broadway was and a living reminder to what it has become. Broadway: The Golden Age is really something special, it is a film that anyone who is even remotely interested in theatre will find absolutely fascinating, as well anyone who is a fan of virtually any actor of the golden age should seek this film out. I have been told the film has been added to the American CinemathequeÃs upcoming schedule so look for it there. For everyone else just check out the filmÃs official website and eagerly await a screening date in your area to be added for the film. www.broadwaythemovie.com Also of note, if you by any chance happen to know either Marlon Brando or Barbara Streisand and can get the director in contact with them it would be nice to shoot an email on over to him at this address.
Well I'm off to The Secret Lives Of Dentist's, many more reviews to come :)
Rav
